Abstract
A study of the limnological characteristics was conducted from January through November, 1970 of Lake Champlain, Vermont and New York, U.S.A. The seasonal and spatial distribution of soluble nitrate, total phosphate and reactive silicate concentrations from 20 stations are presented here.
Results for soluble nitrate concentrations indicate that concentrations in the northeast area of the lake are significantly lower throughout the year than the open lake and bay stations in the western main portion of the lake. Three of the shallow bay stations generally had higher concentrations of nitrate than all other stations. Concentrations of reactive silicon dioxide do not show the same general trends as the nitrata data. Silicate concentrations in the western open portions are higher in the winter and lower in the summer than other areas. The northeast arm does not show the dramatic difference in silicates as for nitrate concentrations. The shallow bays had significantly higher silicate concentrations also, especially during peak spring runoff. No detectable soluble phosphate was measured in the surface waters of the lake. Total particulate phosphate concentrations remained relatively constant from station to station, and throughout the season.
The results of the measurements of soluble nitrate and silicate generally support the hypothesis that Lake Champlain is composed of a number of distinct water masses. The general pattern of total phosphate concentrations however, does not support this hypothesis. A comparison of the three major nutrients in Lake Champlain with the St. Lawrence Great Lake indicates that the trophic status of Lake Champlain is generally higher than Lake Superior and very similar to the open waters of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Canada Centre for Inland WATERS - 1971 - Nutrient Data from Lakes Superior, Huron, Ontario and Erie. Burlington, Ontario (unpublished reports).
Downer, R. N. - 1971 - Extreme mean daily annual water levels of Lake Champlain. Vermont Water Res. Rpt. 3, University of Vermont. 18 p.
Federal Water Pollution Control Administration - 1968 - Lake Erie Surveillance Data Summary 1967–1968. In: Proceedings, Pollution of Lake Erie and its Tributaries - Indiana, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania. June 4, 1968. Pg. 1–59.
Golterman, H. L. 1969 - Methods for Chemical Analysis of Fresh Waters. I.B.P. Handbook No. 8, Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford. 172 p.
Gruendling, G. K. & Warner, J. Studies on the seasonal and spatial phytoplankton population dynamics of Lake Champlain. (in preparation)
Henson, E. B. & Potash, M. - 1966 - A synoptic survey of Lake Champlain, summer, 1965. Univ. Mich., Inst. Sci. and Techn., Great Lakes Res. Div. Publ. No. 15: 38–48.
Henson, E. B., Potash, M. & Sundberg, S. E. - 1966 - Some limnological characteristics of Lake Champlain, U.S.A. and Canada. Verh. Internat. Verein. Limnol. 16: 74–82.
Holland, R. E. & Beeton, A. M. - 1972 - Significance to eutrophication of spatial differences in nutrients and diatoms in Lake Michigan. Limnol. Oceanogr. 17(1): 88–96.
Hunt, A. S. & Boardman, C. C. - 1968 - Lake Champlain Basin Bathymetry. Champlain Research Reports, Issue ♮1.
Hunt, A. S., Townsand, P. H. & Boardman, C. C. - 1968 - The Lake Champlain Drainage Bains. Champlain Research Reports, Issues ♮2.
Hunt, A. S., Boardman, C. C. & Stein, D. E. - 1971 - The volume of Lake Champlain. Champlain Research Reports. Issue No. 3, Lake Champlain Studies Center, University of Vermont. 29 p.
Johnson, R. E. & Gruendling, G. K. Bioassay evaluations of the possible limiting factors to phytoplankton growth in Lake Champlain. (in preparation)
Lean, D. R. S. - 1973 - Phosphorus Dynamics in Lake Water. Science 179(4074) 678–680.
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. - 1970 - In: Proceedings Conference in the Matter of Pollution of Lake Superior and its Tributary Basins - Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan. Vol. 2. Aug. 12–13, 1970. Fed. Water Qual. Adm. U.S. Dept. Interior Pg. 473–499.
Muenscher, W. G. - 1930 - Plankton studies in the Lake Champlain Watershed. N.Y. Conservation Dept. Annual Report Supplement. 19: 164–185.
New York State Conservation Department - 1930 - Biological Survey of the Champlain Watershed. Supplement to 1929 Annual Report New York Conservation Dept. 321 p.
Potash, M. & Henson, E. B. - 1966 - Oxygen depletion patterns in Mallets Bay, Lake Champlain. Univ. Mich., Inst. Sci. and Tech., Great Lakes Res. Div. Pub. No. 15: 411–415.
Potash, M., Sundberg, S. E. & Henson, E. B. - 1969 - Characterization of water masses of Lake Champlain. Verh. Internat. Verein. Limnol. 17: 140–147.
Strickland, J. D. H. & Parsons, T. R. - 1965 - A manual sea water analysis Bull. Fish, Res. Bd. Canada. 125. 203 p.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Department of Biological Sciences.
Department of Biological Sciences.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Gruendling, G.K., Malanchuk, J.L. Seasonal and Spatial Distribution of Phosphates, Nitrates, and Silicates in Lake Champlain, U.S.A.. Hydrobiologia 45, 405–421 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00012028
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00012028